Business Operations Associate

External

Periodic-labs · Menlo Park

$180K–$200K/yrFull-timeOn-site1mo ago

BudgetingLeadershipMoveStrategic PlanningSwitching

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About the role

Periodic Labs is scaling fast, and the systems, decisions, and operations that underpin our growth need to scale with us. As a Business Operations Associate, you'll work at the center of the company - supporting our leadership team, driving cross-functional initiatives, and solving problems that don't yet have playbooks. You'll work directly with our founders and senior leadership across strategy, planning, finance, and operations. This is a role for someone who is extraordinarily high agency, learns at an uncommon pace, and brings genuine intellectual curiosity to the work. A background in physics or quantitative science is a strong signal - not because the work is technical in the traditional sense, but because the mindset it develops is exactly what we're looking for: comfort with ambiguity, rigorous first-principles thinking, and the ability to model complex systems. You'll grow quickly here, take on real ownership early, and have a front-row seat to building a company at the frontier of AI and physical science.

Responsibilities

Partner directly with founders and senior leaders on strategic planning, operational priorities, and high-stakes decisions - context-switching across the full breadth of the company's needs

Own and manage critical cross-functional projects end-to-end, from scoping through execution and retrospective, often operating with a high degree of ambiguity and no prior template

Build frameworks, models, and analyses that drive company decisions - headcount planning, resource allocation, OKR tracking, vendor assessments, and more

Support the operating cadence of the company: leadership meetings, board prep, offsites, and key internal communications

Identify process gaps and inefficiencies across the organization and design lightweight systems to address them - acting as an internal consultant and operator simultaneously

Support finance and business operations: budgeting, vendor contracts, spend tracking, and coordination with legal and finance partners

Assist in preparing external materials - investor updates, partnership decks, and strategic narratives - with precision and polish

Take on ad hoc research and analysis across scientific, market, or operational topics, synthesizing findings into clear recommendations for leadership

You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have

A degree in physics, mathematics, engineering, or another rigorous quantitative discipline from a top university - or an equivalent track record that demonstrates the same caliber of thinking

7+ years of experience in a high-velocity environment: a startup, investment firm, consulting practice, research lab, or similarly demanding setting

Exceptional analytical ability - you can build a model, stress-test an assumption, and communicate the answer clearly in the same afternoon

Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; you write with clarity and economy and can synthesize complexity into something leadership can act on

High agency and a bias toward action - you identify what needs to happen, pick up the context you need, and get it done without waiting to be asked twice

Comfort with ambiguity and a track record of creating structure where little exists

Genuine curiosity about science, technology, and the mission of Periodic Labs - you don't need a PhD, but intellectual range matters

Impeccable discretion and professionalism when working with sensitive information at the executive level

Especially Strong Candidates May Also Have

A physics, chemistry, or materials science background with research experience - you understand how scientific organizations think and operate

Prior experience in management consulting, investment banking, venture capital, or a high-growth startup in an analytical or operational role

Experience building financial models, running quantitative analyses, or supporting strategic planning processes

Exposure to AI, deep tech, or research-driven companies and familiarity with the rhythms of a technical team

Demonstrated ability to move from 0 to 1 on a project - you've built something from scratch and seen it through

Mechanics

Minimum education: Graduate degree or an equivalent combination of education and training or experience

Location: Our lab is located in Menlo Park and we prefer folks to be located in Menlo Park or San Francisco but can be flexible based on role

Compensation: The annual compensation range for this role - $180,000-$200,000

Visa sponsorship: Yes, we sponsor visas and will do everything

Business Operations Associate

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